What is the CCLE?
This past week, I attended my first ever Lutheran conference (excluding the LCMS National Youth Gathering). This three-day event was the annual Consortium of Classical Lutheran Education (CCLE) conference.
For those unfamiliar with the group, the CCLE is an organization dedicated “to promote, establish, and equip individuals and schools committed to confessional Lutheran doctrine and a classical approach to education.” Currently, the CCLE has accredited 17 Lutheran schools across the United States with the designation of a “classical Lutheran school”. The CCLE’s annual summer conference allows educators to meet, collaborate, and learn more about what it means to be a “classical Lutheran school”.
Here’s a video that briefly introduces the CCLE and all the good work that it does.
This year’s host for the conference was Memorial Lutheran in Houston, Texas. Over 200 Lutheran educators, pastors, and homeschool parents attended the 21st annual CCLE conference.
Nothing Happens by Accident
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” -Romans 8:28
Wait a second.
You might be confused. Why would I—an aspiring accountant—want to go to an education conference? How did I even find the CCLE conference? Well, those questions are valid, and this post will answer them.
Before I discuss my experience at the CCLE conference, I will share my round-about journey to attending the CCLE conference.
First off, I never heard of the CCLE before May 2021. The only reason that I discovered this conference is due to the work of a Lutheran seminary professor: Dr. Koontz.
I am a dedicated listener to an amazing weekly podcast that Dr. Koontz co-hosts with Pastor Jonathan Fisk. Their podcast’s title is A Brief History of Power. Definitely check out the podcast if you’re a big history fan.
After I finished up my college finals in early May, I sent an email to Dr. Koontz to ask him for some advice. Fortunately, he emailed me back and recommended that I attend this year’s CCLE conference. If you’re reading this post, Dr. Koontz, thanks again for telling me about CCLE!
So, a podcast is the only reason that I knew CCLE existed. The world of Confessional Lutheranism and Classical Christian Education is a small world, so I cannot take any credit for discovering it on my own. Ok, got it.
I did not know a single person going into the conference. So, I was definitely out of my comfort zone by going to a conference full of educators. I honestly didn’t know what to expect out of the conference.
Nevertheless, the CCLE conference seemed interesting to me after doing some research on the CCLE website. Also, I’ve always wanted to meet more confessional Lutherans, so I rolled the dice and registered for the conference.
Briefly stated, I decided to attend this conference because I wanted to meet more Lutherans. Simple as that.
There aren’t too many of us Lutherans in South Louisiana. Most of my friends back home are Roman Catholic, and most of my college friends (at TCU) are either Non-Denominational or Baptist, so I haven’t gotten to know many Lutherans outside of my home congregation.
Looking back on my path to the CCLE conference, I know and believe that God’s hand was involved. Nothing happens by accident in this life. For sure, I couldn’t have discovered the CCLE conference on my own. It would’ve been like picking a needle of a haystack for me to stumble upon this organization.
Always remember that the Lord Jesus provides for his people so that they lack no good thing (paraphrase of Psalm 34:10). He sure did for me when it came to this conference.
Anyways, I’ll now discuss my experience at the CCLE conference.
My Experience at the CCLE Conference
I live in a suburb of New Orleans, Louisiana. So, I drove out to the CCLE conference’s location—Memorial Lutheran Church in Houston, Texas—and stayed at a friend’s house for a few nights.
On the first day of the conference, I didn’t know what to expect. I was out of my element from the start. The conference started with a Matins prayer service.
I’ve been a Lutheran all my life, and I had never attended a Matins service before. I had no clue what was going on. I honestly felt like a Lutheran “larper” during the Matins service.
Luckily, the lady sitting next to me noticed my confusion and helped me out. She showed me the location of hymnal’s Matin service section.
In spite of my embarrassment, I was so amazed by the beauty of the Matins service. Hearing the chanting of Psalms and the congregation’s responsorial singing was an edifying experience. It sure beats all the lame Contemporary Christian music that I’ve endured over the years.
After that Matins service, the world became my oyster. I actually understood how to navigate the Matins and Vespers services (which was pretty cool). But more importantly, I made the decision—after the Matins service—to make the most of the conference. I was determined to strike up conversations and meet many people during the conference.
For the rest of the conference, I listened to engaging talks, conversed with “movers and shakers” within the Lutheran Church/classical Education community, and connected with other confessional Lutherans. Sure, I might have no education background to my name. However, that fact didn’t have to stop me from learning and meeting more of my brothers and sisters in Christ.
Overall, I felt at home at CCLE. Never before had I attended a conference/event where I shared the same fundamental theological beliefs with everyone else. While I am always glad to share why I’m joyfully Lutheran with Non-Lutherans, there’s special connection you get from meeting people who already share your core beliefs.
On a broader note, Confessional Lutheranism is a rather small subculture. In fact, we are such a small part of American Christianity and the broader American culture that most Americans don’t even know what a Lutheran is.
I could go on and on about all my fantastic experiences at the CCLE conference: from eating breakfast with Dr. Kootnz at IHOP to Pastor Clint & Pastor Kieser jumping my car battery. I know this post is getting pretty long, so I won’t go into much more detail here. I’ll just provide a brief list of my favorite moments from the conference:
-Hanging out with the Immanuel Lutheran Church (Alexandria, Virginia) during the CCLE banquet dinner
-Bumping into my home Church’s old Pastor: Josh Leigehber
-Meeting Dr. Phil Frusti—Director of the Lead A Child organization
-Hanging out with the Our Savior Lutheran School group during lunch on the 1st day of the conference
-Eating dinner at the Galleria Mall with Nathaniel Pullman—founder of Redeemer Classcial School in Fort Wayne, Indiana
-Hearing Dr. Scott Murray imitate a Metairie/New Orleans accent
-Having a beer with Mr. Keith Brda
-Telling Dr. Gene Edward Veith that I enjoyed his book Authentic Christianity
– Listening to the wisdom of Dr. Koontz during his Plenary talk
If you couldn’t tell already, then I’ll let you know that I really enjoyed this Lutheran conference. Without further ado, I’d like to close this post with a letter of appreciation to CCLE XXI.
Thank You to CCLE
To close out this post, I want to personally thank the CCLE and everyone who made my experience at CCLE truly memorable. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience than I had at last week’s conference. Furthermore, I hope that this post demonstrated my gratitude.
The CCLE conference attendees fully displayed their love for Christ and their zeal for the truth. The fellowship, speeches, and conversations that I witnessed at this conference truly reflected Christ’s love for his people.
The Lutheran educators at this conference clearly care about training up the next generation of Lutherans. The task for these educators is becoming more difficult in an increasingly post-Christian culture. Moreover, their endeavor does not receive attention and praise in this sinful world. Nonetheless, the men and women of CCLE are truly doing the LORD’s work. May God bless the teachers, administrators, and benefactors of CCLE.
In short, I am forever grateful for my experience at CCLE 2021, and I hope to come back to next year’s conference in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Here’s a slideshow of some photos from the conference:
